holycow+holysmoke+holyshit+holyganges

varanasi vacuum.... seven days filled with madness, intense madness, frenzy of religion and death, dirt and waste...
so many things simultaneously bombarding all the senses. animals living side by side with people, gods and religion so apparent in all the thousands of pilgrims bathing in the sacred river. people coming from all over the country to die here; lined up on the streets, sick and frail, and with eyes wide shut, waiting for their turn to leave this body and for their soul to take on the next incarnation...or, wait- no! if you die in varanasi, according to hinduism, you reach the final soteriological goal of their belief; you become free from the cycle of death and rebirth. you reach final peace and bliss. this is how holy varanasi is and always has been.
but holy shit! how dirty! how disgusting! how smelly! how can this be possible? such a mess created by humans and animals alike, in such a visibly beautiful place. dead bodies and cowshit.
and holy cow..the cows are humongous. and dangerous at times...watch out for running cows and bulls on a mission, man.
a mission, yes man, varanasi is a mission, and we were on many missions at the same time. trying to find some truth, sorting amongst the business of fake babas, holy men, which ones are real, which ones are criminals and fakers? well, we got no closer to the truth than we were in the beginning. only some really great pictures and laughs. fun in the sun- NOT. heavy shit, holy shit, holy cow, holy smoke.

and we made many, many friends. some strange ones, some funny ones, some poor ones, some rich ones. not a single western one, we were proudly realising- we go for the internal affairs, and avoid the usual discussions on diahreea at the guesthouses. and no, we didn't get sick either, we are also proud to announce. not until we hit the south, but that's a whole 'nother story...